January 13, 2023

It’s the mayors who have stepped up as the leading problem solvers struggling with a genuine conundrum: What should an effective response to migrant issues look like for the affected cities and towns? A national coordination plan that designates a federal agency or a federally designated nonprofit with strong communications lines into specific cities and towns to handle arrivals’ needs once they are discharged would alleviate some of the chaos. For solutions to short-term emergencies, immigration advocates point to one San Diego organization as a leader in adapting its frameworks to handle the shifting demands of asylum seekers. Naomi Steinberg, an immigration advocate, has called the San Diego Rapid Response Network Migrant Shelter Services operated by Jewish Family Service of San Diego as “the gold standard” and told The San Diego Union-Tribune, “They have really shown organizations around the country how it can be done and how it should be done.”

December 28, 2022

“At this moment we are grateful to have regained some capacity,” said Kate Clark, JFS’ Senior Director for Immigration Services. “We know the ongoing national travel challenges persist and will be continually assessing capacity to welcome guests into our care post-release from the Department of Homeland Security.”

December 25, 2022

Due to flight delays from winter storms, migrant shelters haven’t been able to move guests through as quickly as normal and are now at capacity, meaning many new arrivals have been left on the streets. Normally, after crossing the border, migrants who are released in the San Diego area go to one of two shelters, one run by the San Diego Rapid Response Network and the other by Catholic Charities. Both shelters provide hotel rooms for migrants to stay in due to pandemic precautions. “These types of events are an important reminder that additional federal resources and meaningful reform are needed to support appropriate border infrastructure that reflects current needs,” Brian Ferguson of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services said.

December 21, 2022

JFS’ Kate Clark, senior director for immigration services, was interviewed about current uncertainties surrounding Title 42, and how looming legal changes will affect asylum seekers in the near future. Lack of information has led to rumors, confusion, and doubts about the government’s readiness to respond.

December 18, 2022

The San Diego Rapid Response Network Migrant Shelter operated by Jewish Family Service of San Diego recently welcomed its 100,000th guest since it opened four years ago to help asylum seekers. “It was a happiness to be here,” said 31-year-old Yolanda, who is fleeing cartel violence. “I feel safe.” The article illustrates our emphasis on welcoming and providing care for the most vulnerable of asylum seekers with public health as our top priority. “They are the gold standard,” said Naomi Steinberg of HIAS. “They have really shown organizations around the country about how it can be done and how it should be done.”

September 1, 2022

U.S. Senator Alex Padilla visited the San Diego border region Wednesday to learn how the federal government can support the humanitarian efforts of local advocates. During a meeting with members of the San Diego Rapid Response Network, advocates asked Padilla to help them restore the asylum system, stop the militarization of the border, expand access to Friendship Park and adopt a more welcoming approach to new migrants. “The border is much more than a headline, it’s people’s lives that are impacted every single day on both sides of the border,” said Kate Clark, director of immigrant services at Jewish Family Service.

August 31, 2022

Immigrant rights advocates met with Democratic Senator Alex Padilla at the San Diego Rapid Response Network Migrant Shelter Services operated by Jewish Family Service of San Diego on Wednesday to give him a sense of what's happening on the ground at the U.S.-Mexico border. They're applauding the end of the so-called Remain in Mexico policy, but say migrants are still in danger because they're not being processed fast enough.

May 27, 2022

The California Welcoming Task Force held a press conference on Monday, May 23, 2022, to call for an end to Title 42, Restoration of Humane Process for People Seeking Asylum.

May 12, 2022

Their preparations are moving forward even as a federal judge is expected to rule—perhaps as soon as the end of the week—on whether Title 42 will actually end as scheduled. If the judge doesn’t intervene and the policy is lifted as planned on May 23, it would not constitute a new asylum policy; rather the shift would bring things back to pre-pandemic operations for asylum seekers at the border. “We anxiously await and are eagerly preparing for the full termination of Title 42,” says Kate Clark, senior director of immigration services at Jewish Family Service of San Diego, a group that has been instrumental in assisting asylum seekers for years. Kate Clark’s interview continues and there are additional statements by members of the California Welcoming Task Force.

March 29, 2022

Since the war started, Moores has helped 12 families get out of Ukraine and into the U.S. She has been teaming up with Jewish Family Service to help families receive critical services and respite shelter through the SDRRN Migrant Shelter Services, which is operated by Jewish Family Service.

March 18, 2022

Advocates say asylum claims & exemptions are not uniformly enforced at border crossings. So far this year, the San Diego Rapid Response Network has assisted 453 Ukrainians at the border. That compares to 878 Ukrainians assisted during all of 2021, according to Kate Clark, the group’s Director of Immigration Services. Advocates are calling for the immediate repeal of policies that have allowed migrants to be turned away from the border before seeking asylum.

March 18, 2022

San Diego immigration experts called Friday for an end to Trump-era immigration restrictions as potentially thousands of desperate migrants from Ukraine and Russia begin to arrive in Tijuana.
Kate Clark, senior director of immigration services at Jewish Family Service, said that “Our recently arrived guests from Ukraine tend to be female heads of households with their children. Their spouses have stayed behind to fight for Ukraine’s continued independence.”

March 12, 2022

People fleeing the war in Ukraine are arriving at the southern U.S. border and asking for asylum – but those efforts are being complicated by pandemic-era rules limiting entry into the country. Maryna and her 10- and 8- year-old daughters are among those who have actually made it into the country. They received assistance at the SDRRN Migrant Shelter Services operated by Jewish Family Service. It is time that Title 42 be lifted so that asylum seekers from around the world can seek safety and security.

March 11, 2022

Between June and Feb. 21, with the exception of one week, Russians were among the top-three nationalities assisted by the San Diego Rapid Response Network, which offers food and lodging to migrants after their release from U.S. border custody. The network has also been receiving a small but growing number of Ukrainians, and the volume is expected to increase in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion, assuming access to Mexico remains relatively easy.

November 29, 2021

Waiting in Mexican border cities is not only dangerous, she says, but makes it almost impossible to find legal representation in the United States. Only 7% of MPP asylum seekers had a lawyer, contributing to less than 1% of migrants actually winning their asylum cases while enrolled in Remain in Mexico. By contrast, closer to a third of asylum seekers overall won their cases during the same period. Lawyers in San Diego say they’ve been told by federal officials that immigration judges have been designated and courtrooms have already been set aside.Kate Clark, the lead immigration attorney with Jewish Family Service of San Diego, says the resumption of a program they oppose leaves legal service providers in a difficult spot.

September 3, 2021

Immigration attorneys whose practices shifted when President Joe Biden rescinded the "Remain in Mexico" program are experiencing whiplash after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed it to be reinstated. Kate Clark, the director of immigration services at the Jewish Family Service of San Diego, told Law360 that “reinstatement is certainly not something we ever thought was going to be within the realm of possibilities”. In the weeks since, Clark says her organization has redoubled its advocacy efforts, calling on congressional representatives and the White House to stand in opposition to the policy.

August 30, 2021

With the Supreme Court ruling requiring the Biden’s Administration to revive MPP, San Diego advocates are already concerned Remain in Mexico’s reinstatement will force more migrants into dangerous living conditions. Jewish Family Services described Remain in Mexico as a “cruel and inhumane program.” They further explained, “over the last two years, we have seen firsthand the mental and physical toll the policy places on those traumatized by the violence and persecution they have fled from in their home countries.”

August 28, 2021

The Supreme Court ordered the Biden administration to follow a Texas judge’s ruling to restart Trump’s Migrant Protection Protocols. Many migrants are already being returned to Mexico under Title 42. Luis Gonzalez, Immigration Attorney of Jewish Family Service of San Diego, called the ruling “bittersweet” because he knew Jewish Family Service had managed to help 37 more asylum seekers get processed into the United States before the Supreme Court order was announced. However, he knew there were thousands more still stuck outside the United States — including some of his clients — who now might have to wait much longer in dangerous conditions.

August 25, 2021

Local immigrant’s rights advocates are speaking out after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to block a court ruling ordering the president to reinstate the controversial Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy. In anticipation of the Supreme Court ruling, Jewish Family Service worked tirelessly yesterday — the last day of processing and crossing — to assist as many individuals and families through the MPP wind-down process as possible. Working through the night, JFS welcomed an additional 37 individuals comprising 16 families.

June 3, 2021

Meet one Honduran family who escaped a politically-motivated machete attack to seek asylum in the United States. Jewish Family Service of San Diego helped this family prepare for their move from SDRRN Migrant Shelter Services to New York, where their sponsor awaits. According to JFS Border Advocate, Eitan Peled, “What we’re doing is showing people we can both protect public health and afford people the right to seek asylum.”